Indiana Dinosaur Museum release bison into restored prairie

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Today, June 18, the Indiana Dinosaur Museum released six bison into a restored prairie that will soon be open to the public to visit. 

"South Bend is a great place to live, but we need to attract people from outside. And we have a tremendous story. You know, Notre Dame has a great story. We attract visitors from all over the world. I think we're telling another story, a story of our geologic past," says Mark Tarner, the President of the South Bend Chocolate Company.

Tarner continues, "We have reached a milestone today, we've introduced buffalo to the first for the first time in South Bend, Indiana, I think in 100 and some years."

When discussing how the bison will react to people, the owner of Cook Bison Ranch Peter Cook said, "They're used to seeing people we've done tours at our place since 2000. And they see people all the time, they don't get stressed about odd situations. I mean, if they never saw people, that's a different story. But they're used to seeing people."

In addition to the bison, people will also be able to see goats, reptiles, five baby heifers, and a bull.

"We want to kind of restore and develop environmentally friendly and also tell a story of South Bend as a great story that prairies began here. And, and the buffalo were roaming around the city limits at one point," says Tarner.